What will I be doing?

It’s a busy world! Two-income families don’t have time to clean house. With all the cleaning needing to be done in this country, it’s no wonder there are 28,000 full-time housecleaning services in the U.S.!

There are many reasons why people need a housecleaning service. If you have the skills to efficiently clean houses—or are willing to learn them—you can set up a home-based housecleaning service for extra cash.

A housecleaning service cleans windows, vacuums carpets, washes floors and counters, dusts furniture and drapes and does other general cleaning. These services typically do not “pick up” after clients or do laundry or dishes. Some cleaning services specialize in homes, others do apartments, and a few specialize in cleaning offices and other businesses.

What will I need to start?

You may have all the basic cleaning equipment you need in your home right now. You may also have supplies, but maybe not in economical quantities. If not, shop the discount warehouse stores or wholesale janitorial supply stores for them. The janitorial suppliers may even recommend supplies better for the task or offer techniques for using them more efficiently.

Make sure you have efficient cleaning skills. To earn the highest hourly rate you will need to develop skills that help you get the jobs done quickly and well. Books like Clutter’s Last Stand (Betterway Books) are helpful to the entrepreneurial house cleaner.

Who will my customers be?

Customers for your housecleaning service are homeowners, apartment dwellers and even businesses. For efficiency, you may prefer to specialize in homes within a limited geographic area to limit time between jobs. Your customers may also be home buyers or renters referred to you by real estate agents in your area.

You can reach potential clients with a flier taken door-to-door and to local real estate offices. As you give the flier out, ask if there are any jobs you can bid on while you’re there. You may get a job on the spot.